Eric and I were talking about Space Invaders Extreme, as tends to happen, and he linked me to NCSX, where Arkanoid/Space Invaders paddle controllers have been in stock since March 11! Pink, silver, and white are still available -- at an unfortunate $30.90 price. Why didn't I buy one of my own before? I played with one for like a week, so I know how awesome they are. Actually, I know why I didn't, and it's the same reason why most people don't buy the things they want!

In other SIE "news" gleaned from tonight's conversation, Eric asked me if you could turn off background animations and darken the backgrounds in the DS game, and I told him I thought that was only available in the PSP game. I checked, and you totally can! I had no idea! It's a new, less interesting way to experience SIE.

Import: Space Invaders Extreme 2

Space Invaders Extreme 2 boxart (Japanese).

And yes, the game supports the paddle peripheral. Hopefully, Taito will release more of these controllers (stateside, even!), as import shop Play Asia has been sold out of them for some time now, and NCSX only has the pink version in stock.

Preorder: Space Invaders Extreme 2 (from Play Asia)

TGS attendees reported mostly disappointment in Taito's Space Puzzle Bobble, due to the lack of new content (and also crummy touchscreen controls). However, the full game features online play and paddle controller support, neither of which were on display at TGS, and both of which make for a more than sufficient upgrade.

This demo doesn't include any of that new stuff either, but it's five levels of Puzzle Bobble for free, so yay. Also it reminded us that the game is coming out, and that we need to find a paddle controller.

[Via Siliconera]

Paddle Bobble may very well change your life

Though the Bubble Bobble series has been ill-treated on the DS -- suffering everything from terrible packaging to a game-ruining bug -- I've held onto the hope that Taito would one day release a handheld follow-up to 2002's wonderful Puzzle Bobble Online (PC).

The game had it all -- six-player online combat, cooperative mechanics, and even a chat box for griefing other PBO players. Taito's newest announced DS title, Space Puzzle Bobble, won't have all of that, but it still has some interesting features:

I'm pretty pumped about all of that. As for why I'm still wishing for the return of a six-year-old Puzzle Bobble game that hardly anyone remembers, there was more to PBO than just its feature list:

That explained, enjoy some Space Puzzle Bobble screens!